Pretty Pistol
by rocket-queen98
Summary: Tate/OC—Andrea Jackson and her father move into the Murder House, looking for a fresh start. The young girl catches the eye of a certain ghost who instantly feels a connection. Will she look past his infamous crimes and see that all he wants is to be loved? Or will she tell him to go away?
1. House Of 1000 Corpses

**A/N Here is my new story. If you like it, please review.**

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_I've got love songs in my head, killing us away. I've got love songs in my head, killing us away_

_She tells me I'm a pretty bullet, i__'m gonna be a star some day__  
__Mother says that we should look away, s__he tells me I'm a pretty bullet__  
_

_An Imitation Christ_

_I've got love songs in my head_

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**2010**

"Andrea?...Andrea!"

Tom took the keys out the ignition, and turned around, hand nudging his daughter's leg. She jumped slightly, eyes fluttering open and she took her earphones out, before her gaze shifted to the large house out the window. Her eyes narrowed, deciding that the house looked even worse than what she saw in the picture. Her father stepped out the car, motioning for her to join him, which she did with reluctantly. Shutting the door behind her, she walked towards her father, who knocked on the door. The two looked up, taking in their potential home. While Tom smiled, impressed, Andrea just rolled her eyes, muttering to herself.

She missed her old home, it was real, the people there kept to their own business, they didn't care what went on with their lives. Though this house and neighborhood, in her mind, reminded her of the street on Desperate Housewives, where everyone knew everything about the people there, and she was sure, that things went on behind the fake smiles and home-made cookies they gave as house warming gifts. But sadly, they couldn't go back to their home, her mother had gotten it in the divorce, she didn't even bother fighting for Andrea. As long as she got some money, a car and the house, she didn't care about anything else.

Her father swung an arm over her shoulder, pulling her into him, trying to get her as exited just as he was. He knew that she was upset about leaving her friends and home, but he saw this as a new start for them.

"I love it! Don't you like it, sweetie?"

She send him a sarcastic look,"Great. So we're the Addams Family now?

"You'd make a good Wednesday!"

She smacked her father on the arm, laughing before the door opened and a small, middle aged woman, dressed in a blue stood in front of them. She wore a fake smile, confirming Andrea's thoughts on the people, before she gestured for them to come inside.

"Welcome, i'm Marcy. You must be the Jackson's. Please, come on in and i'll show you around."

The two entered the house, and while her father spoke to Marcy, following her around the house, Andrea took her own tour. She preferred to be alone while checking things out, also the sound of Marcy's voice made her want to scream in agony. Dark eyes observing the colours on the windows and walls as she walked through the rooms, Andrea came to the decision that it looked better on the inside than it did on the outside. It was needing an update, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Her father's voice called her into the kitchen, breaking into her thoughts, and she entered the room, instantly sensing something was off.

"What's up? Found out someone died?"

His eyes widened,"Uh...yeah. Turns out there was a murder/suicide. That's why it's so cheap."

While her father wore a disturbed look, Andrea chuckled darkly, sitting next to him on the counter. Marcy raised a judgemental eyebrow, and when she saw this, Andrea sent her a dirty look, instantly shutting her up. Tom ran a hand over his face, looking over at his daughter for some sort of reaction. Her opinion mattered to him, he would never make her stay in a house that freaked her out. In her opinion, the house hadn't made a good first impression, it looked old and had no character until the murders were brought up. It made a good story to tell her friends back home during their next chat on Skype.

"It's not like they're gonna haunt us, right? Also, its so cool! We'll take it."

"Great! The last family left pretty quickly, they didn't even take most of the furniture with them."

Tom stood up, letting out a sigh of relief, happy that they wouldn't have to find another house and mostly that he wouldn't have to spend more money on one. While Marcy and her father began the paperwork, Andrea decided to check out the upstairs. Slightly pouting when she saw the stairs and how much there were, Andrea started to move up them, she was tired and all she wanted was to sleep. Suddenly she felt something cold brush her cheek, and she flinched, shaking. Her eyes widened, and she snapped her head left and right, shocked to see nothing there because it seemed so real. The teenager stood on the top step for a few moments, trying to control her breathing before she turned a corner, into the hallway of rooms.

_Maybe it was just the wind...yeah...the wind, nothing creepy at all._

Settling her mind, Andrea turned her attention to picking a new bedroom.

* * *

_Pretty...pretty...pretty girl._

Tate watched the young girl open doors of rooms to see what they held inside, quietly following her, stopping himself from reaching out again. He'd been eyeing her since she entered the Murder House, instantly feeling some sort of connection. It was her eyes that drew him to her. As she moved about the house, he had only seen her frown, never smile and even when she did it was fake, he could tell. Her eyes showed so much emotion, mostly anger and tiredness. It made him want to know why.

That was his first sign that she held some hurt. If Tate Langdon was good at something, it was reading people, he could always sense weakness. He didn't have to know someone at all to read them, that's why he had figured Andrea out so fast. It was both a gift and a curse. She was the type of person to suffer in silence, which was the opposite to him. He acted out, Tate never thought before he did something. He wanted to know why she was suffering. He had slipped up when he touched her cheek on the stairs, he couldn't help it, the pout she gave before she climbed them was so adorable. Though, he had made sure that she couldn't see him, he wasn't ready to show himself yet.

"Dad! Found my room."

She slowly stepped down the stairs, leaning against the wall as he took in their bags,"You know, that Marcy was right. There's a bed in my room, it'll do for tonight. I can keep the bed frame, though I would like a new mattress and stuff, I don't want to know what went on in there. They must have left in a hurry..."

"Hit the jackpot, huh?"

Andrea rolled her eyes again as her father got on the phone to the movers. Her mother had told them that she wanted all their things out by the end of the month, and had agreed to allow the movers in the house to get their stuff. She had turned into something that Andrea couldn't even describe, it was as if she never wanted any evidence that they were ever there. It hurt at first, but soon it turned into anger and resentment towards the woman who she used to be close to, who she used to call Mum. The teenager shook her head, as if it would get rid of the thoughts and focused on redecorating her new bedroom.

"Right, thank you..."Tom put the mobile phone into his pocket,"Our things will be here tomorrow. Turns out, your mother had already called them and even paid more money to get our things packed up into vans already. Literally everything, that includes your bed, don't worry."

His smile dropped and gaze shifted to the floor, trying to seem strong but sometimes, she could tell that it was forced most of the time. Walking down the rest of the steps, Andrea looked up at her father, and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a rare hug. He sniffed, returning the embrace. They stood there for a few minutes, not talking until he broke away, wiping his tears away. Again, his mask came up, and the fake smile returned.

"Hey! How about we order a pizza and you can find a movie online we can watch? We can use that until we get a new TV, even though i'll be the one using it most of the time, your never off that laptop of yours. How does pepperoni sound?"

She nodded and while her father searched the phone book for the number of the pizza place, she grabbed some of her bags, which mostly held clothes, toiletries, her laptop and chargers since her mother had practically kicked them out, then jogged up the stairs. Kicking open the door to her new bedroom, Andrea dumped her stuff on the bed, before opening the blinds behind it, backing off to take a good look at the room. It wasn't bad, it was comfy and after making it her own, she could get used to it.

Her body froze when she felt fingers on her cheek again, making her heart race. The touch was soon gone, but it felt like it were still on her skin. Her breathing hitched as the touch moved across her collarbone. It felt as if someone was standing in front of her, but she couldn't see anything. She screwed her eyes shut, and tried to regain trust of her breathing.

_It's your mind, An, your mind. You haven't slept in ages...it's all in your head._

"Andrea? Honey, change of plan. We're gonna go out, I found this Chinese place. Fancy it?"

Her eyes opened and she cleared her throat,"Y-Yeah, Dad. I'll be right down."

Andrea grabbed her jacket off of the bed and quickly left the room. She didn't notice the pair of eyes that were watching her go. Tate had watched the conversation between Andrea and Tom. He should have known that it had something to do with her mother since he hadn't seen a woman with them. He looked out the window as they got into the car and drove off, giving him a chance to go through some of the bags she had taken up. Turning back to the bed, he sat down and carefully went through them, taking out, what he assumed, her laptop. He had never seen one before, he had used something like it when he was younger, but nothing like the one he was holding. His was a big box-like thing. Tate sat it on the bed, observing it, and tried to figure out to turn it on.

"Shit, things have changed...now...which button turns the fucker on?"


	2. About A Girl

**A/N Here is chapter two.**

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_I've got a crush on a pretty pistol, __should I tell her that I feel this way?_

_Father told us to be faithful_

_I've got a crush on a pretty pistol, should I tell her that I feel this way?_

_I've got love songs in my head that are killing us away_

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**5 Days Later**

"...yeah. I don't know, maybe it's the house settling. But something, it's just..."

Andrea entered her bedroom, left hand carrying a shopping bag, filled of things for the bathroom while her other one held her mobile to her ear. Slipping off her shoes, she dumped her keys on her dresser and made her way into the bathroom, setting the bag on top of the cabinet as she started to take things out of it. As she spoke to her friend, Jack, on the phone, Andrea began to put the soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions away. She loved buying new things, much to her father's dismay, he didn't understand why she needed that much lotions and shampoos but he never said anything, just mumbled something about teenagers.

She had been out most of the day, and hadn't been looking forward to coming back. She was still feeling as if something was watching her, and Andrea was sure that she wasn't just imagining it anymore. At night she could hear noises in the house, but never told her father, he would just play it off as the house settling, just like she told Jack earlier. Her bedroom was the worst, it was as if something was staying there, or just liked to haunt her. It seemed like it was just happening to her, because her father hadn't said anything.

"It's just...what? Have you got your very own Casper?"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled,"Shut up, i'm serious. I don't know what it is, there is just something in the house, i'm sure."

Jack did his best spooky voice,"Or someone."

"That was so bad! Now let's stop talking about it, please? How's things over there?"

Andrea listened as Jack updated her on their friends and family, complaining about how lonley he was since she had left. The two had been best friends after meeting in Nursery when he pushed over a boy who tried to take her glitter pens, and ever since then they had been inseparable. He was heartbroken when she had to leave, he even tried to convince her father that she was old enough to move out and buy her own place. Jack and Andrea had promised that they would buy their own apartment together and live as room-mates when they were old enough, but her father said no.

They had stayed in constant contact since she left, and Andrea missed him, she hadn't made any friends, and doubted that anyone could ever replace Jack. He came out as gay at the age of 15, which was two years ago. Everyone, especially Andrea was accepting of her friend, though she had suspicions of it a few years before but didn't want to say anything, she wanted to wait until he was ready. He seemed much happier within himself, and even got a boyfriend, Liam a few months earlier, who she also got along with.

"It's so boring! You should have taken me and Liam with you, we could fight off the ghosts, too. We'd be like...um...Buffy only without the vampires and bad hair styles."

Andrea giggled and strolled into her bedroom, jumping onto the bed. A rare smile crawled onto her face, something she hadn't done since her mother situation, and she forgot about her problems for a few moments. Picking at her duvet, the teenager replied to her friend, who was chatting at Liam in the background.

"I don't think you can fight ghosts, stupid. I've got to go, got more crap to unpack, and tell Liam that I love him, yeah?"

Jack told his boyfriend the message, who instantly told her that he loved her too, before getting back to his work,"What about me? Your only love, your best friend, the light of your life. You've changed, pistol."

Andrea shook at the mention of the nickname she had gotten from Jack. He had started calling her that because she was, in his opinion, as fast as a bullet, meaning that she was always quick to defend herself or friends and never failed to give a witty remark when it was needed. But Jack had told her that the main reason he called her that was because she, like a pistol, looked harmless and small, but if anyone pulled Andrea's trigger, it would set her off. She was known for hiding emotions, then suddenly explode.

"You're so full of yourself and what have I told you about calling me that, it's catching on. My dad's started calling me that too!"

Jack laughed,"If the shoe fits... I'll let you go, pistol_,_ I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye."

She hung up and tossed the phone onto the bedside table before standing back up. The movers had come by the day after their first night, and she was mostly finished with the unpacking. The bed that was in her room had been put into the spare one down the hall, and she had gotten her old bed back, which Andrea was happy about. Her father had helped her paint her new bedroom, she had decided on painting the walls red with a black trim to make it stand out. After the paint was dry, she then put her posters, which were of her favourite bands.

Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Motley Crue and Nirvana along with other bands she liked were stuck on her walls with blu-tack. On another wall were pictures of her friends and some with Andrea and her father. She had refused to put up some with her mother because they had moved to have a fresh start, and that included without her, so she hadn't bothered even taking out the pictures that had her, instead Andrea threw them out. The teenager started to move around the room, deciding where things would go when she heard a voice that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You have nice taste in music, _**pistol**_."

She turned around and looked at where the voice came from, only to be met with air. Her fists clenched and she let out a frustrated breath, trying not to show how scared she was. A laugh from behind her made Andrea turn around, and again, she came face to face with nothing. Andrea looked around, but nothing came into view, and she felt a finger-like touch run along her arm. It was cold and made her heart skip a beat, she huffed, wanting to know what was happening.

"What the fuck is going on? This is starting to piss me off, y'know."

Then, she chuckled to herself,"Great. You're talking to yourself, not crazy at all."

Walking around her, invisible to her eyes, was Tate. He had been watching her since the first day, not finding it in himself to look away and wanting to show himself for the first time in a while. Apart from when his mother, who he tried to avoid, came to see him or whenever Addie came around to play with Beau, Tate never had contact with the living. While the ghosts scared off the new house owners, he stayed in the basement, not interested in what went on. Though, for some reason, she interested him, he wanted to get to know her.

_She's not gonna want to know you if she finds out that you're the one haunting her._

Tate knew that the voice in his head was right for once. So he moved away from her, now leaning against the bedroom door-frame. He made himself visible and did his best to seem normal, trying to come up with an excuse as to why he was inside her house. Her back was facing him, and he cleared his throat, making her jump again before she turned around. He stopped the laughter that almost escaped him at her reaction, giving her his innocent expression.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of being smart..."Tate laughed to himself,"well, as long as you know that you're talking to yourself and not an imaginary friend, that's just bat-shit crazy."

He offered her a smile, but she just glared at him, backing away a step, looking at him in a suspicious manner. She crossed her arms across her chest, eyes trailing up and down his body. Then the questions that he was waiting for came but he was silent as she spoke, focused on her eyes. They held fire and he wanted nothing more than to burn in it, they were soft but he could see the anger she felt.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?"

Tate walked further into the bedroom, only a meter away from her. Andrea didn't move, not wanting to seem as if she was freaked out by him. He looked as if the early 90's were his inspiration for clothing, and she couldn't deny, he was a bit adorable, he looked like a young version of Kurt Cobain. She met his eyes, tilting her head, as if she was trying to read him, and Tate copied her, almost making her laugh, but she still refused to let her guard down.

"You're front door was open...you never know who's just gonna walk in. You should really lock it."

She raised an eyebrow,"I'll keep that in mind. Do you normally walk into houses like this or are we just special?"

Nodding, he grinned at her, moving a little closer, wishing that she would do the same. Andrea let her arms drop, not feeling threatened at all, but still kept herself alert just in case. It was his eyes that got her, they looked dangerous, and she noticed the way he was looking at her, as if he was thinking the same thing.

"I'm Tate, by the way."


	3. Mommy Issues

**A/N Hope you like this one!**

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_Has someone taken your faith?_

_Its real, the pain you feel_

_The life, the love you'd die to heal_

_The hope that starts the broken hearts_

_You trust, you must_

_Confess_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?_

* * *

"_I'm Tate, by the way."_

The blonde held out his hand, eyes daring her to take it, and hesitantly, Andrea did the same, hand reaching out. As soon as their hands touched, they both felt some sort of spark run through their bodies that caused Andrea to pull hers back. Tate's eyes narrowed, instantly missing her touch but let his hand drop back to his side. She looked up at him, eyes widening, before she rubbed her hands together. Without waiting for permission, Tate picked up a few of her CD's from inside a box on her table, one that she was going to unpack and started looking through them. She turned around to face him, glaring slightly, wondering how he could be so bold, but didn't say anything.

"I'm Andrea...Your hand is cold."

He chuckled,"You know what they say...cold hands, warm heart."

She smiled, unable to stop herself and sat down on the bed, watching him roam around her room, as if he was trying to figure out her personality by looking at her things. Then suddenly, his eyes lit up and he held up two of her Nirvana albums, In Utero and Nevermind, letting others fall back into the box. She watched as he opened them up, as if they were the greatest things on earth, a small smile on his face.

"I lost mine ages ago. Don't know where they went."

Andrea arched an eyebrow, wondering how someone could be so amused by something so small, and she shrugged, brushing it off that maybe Nirvana was his favourite band.

"If you want them, you can have them. I use my iPod now, I was gonna leave them in there anyway. Can't find it in me to throw them away, it's like i'm insulting the band or some shit. If you look deeper, i'm sure the rest of the albums are in there somewhere too. Unplugged might have a few scratches, I love it."

"Really?"

Tate didn't have anything to play them on, but he would keep them, especially if Andrea gave them to him, he would view it as a present. Also, he loved Nirvana and would even go as far as to ask Constance to get him something to play the CDs on. She nodded and stood up, pulling the box closer to her, taking out the rest of the albums from the band, passing them over to Tate, who took them gently. He opened the others, pulling out the little booklet that was inside and skimmed over the pictures and lyrics. In her mind, he looked like a small child playing with the toy at Christmas, the one he had asked for all year.

"It's better than throwing them out or leaving them in there collecting dust."

Tate swallowed, he had lost all of his albums when he died, he figured that his mother must have thrown them out or something. He didn't know what actually happened, but he would never put it past his mother, she always hated the music. Nirvana was, and always will be his favourite band, he idolised Kurt Cobain. Their eyes met again, and he grinned at her before sitting down next to her on the bed when she put the box on the floor. She smiled at him, not even noticing that she was doing it, mentally yelling at herself for becoming so close to someone in only a short time. She couldn't help it, it was as if he was pulling it out of her.

"So you live next door or something?"

Tate froze, he hadn't thought of that, he had been too busy with excuses as to why he was in her house. He'd wanted to meet her so badly that he hadn't even thought of a story to tell her. Instead he just nodded, clearing his throat before he spoke in a shaky breath.

"Uh...yeah. I-I live with my mother next door."

Not seeming to notice the change in his voice, Andrea just smiled softly,"Maybe i'll walk into your house uninvited."

"I wouldn't. My mother is hell...i don't get along with her at all. She's controlling and...never mind. What about you? Is your mother as bad as mine?"

Suddenly, Andrea's face fell and she looked down at her hands, playing with her fingers, her smile dropping. Tate watched her, knowing that he hit something inside of her and he immediately felt bad for upsetting her, something he hadn't felt in a long while. He reached out and grabbed her hands, fingers running along her knuckles comfortingly, and she jumped slightly at his touch but didn't pull away like he expected her to. He intertwined their fingers, liking how they fit so well, like she was the missing piece to his twisted puzzle.

"Hey...what's wrong?"

She shook her head, hair falling in her face,"I don't get along with my mother either. Bitch kicked us out after winning the divorce, didn't even try to fight for me."

Tate felt the urge to find her mother and rip her to pieces, the anger bubbling up inside him but he tried to calm himself down, not wanting to wreck their moment. He tightened his grip on her hand and tilted his head, offering her a sad smile. She allowed him to tug her closer, their legs touching and he reached out with his free hand and brushed her hair away from her face, tucking the strands behind her ear. Her skin heated up when he touched her face, and by the look he had on his, Tate must have felt it too. His fingers grasped her chin and he forced her to look up at him, willing to do anything to make her feel better. There was something special about her, he didn't know what yet, but he wanted to know more.

"If you love someone, you should never hurt them. **Never**."

Andrea agreed with him strongly,"Right?"

"If she didn't want you, it was her loss, in my opinion. She's not worth thinking about, she's not worth stressing yourself over. Take it from me, I know what i'm talking about, just because she brought you into this world, doesn't mean shit because this world is filthy. It's a filthy, god-damn helpless world, she brought you into a horror show, and you owe her nothing."

Andrea didn't say anything, she just looked at him, blinking now and then. She didn't know why he cared so much, but it felt good that someone understood her in a way. She'd been feeling somewhat guilty for resenting her mother, that's why she didn't think about her that much because it only made her sad. But Tate, he calmed those feelings, he pushed them away for her. He was smart, she could tell, like he had been living for decades, he spoke the truth, and honestly, she wanted to know more. His fingers trailed over her face, tracing her jawline, studying her as if she were a piece of art. If it had been anyone else who dared to do that, she would have hit them by now, but she couldn't find it inside her to shove him away from her, she was too hypnotized by him.

His thumb ghosted over her lower lip, almost making her whine because he was so cold but warm at the same time. He leaned closer to her, their noses almost brushing and he whispered, eyes fluttering as he did. But it seemed as if he was talking to himself, not her.

"...you're too _light_ for this world, you're too _good_ for it."

Her mouth opened, not knowing what to say to that, even though they had only met not longer than half an hour ago, it felt as if they had known each other for life. His hand dropped, joining his other on her hand, his cold skin warming and he felt at peace just holding her hand. She made the voices in his head stop, they normally screamed and yelled at him, making his head hurt to the point that he wanted to tear his hair out. She made them quiet down, they didn't bother him as much when he was around her. Her goodness and brightness balanced out his darkness, she was the sun to his darkness. He wanted to drown in her, Andrea was everything he wanted, she didn't know it yet but she wanted him too. In Tate's mind, he could protect her from all the badness in the world.

"We have something in common,"Tate started, making Andrea raise her head,"we both hate our mothers."

The two broke out in childish laughter.

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**Please review?**


	4. Fade Into You

**A/N Sorry it took so long.**

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_A stranger's light comes on slowly_

_A stranger's heart without a home_

_You put your hands into your head_

_And then smiles cover your heart_

_Fade into you_

_Strange you never knew_

_Fade into you_

_I think it's strange you never knew_

* * *

**2 Weeks Later**

**10am**

**"Dad? You here?"**

Yawning, Andrea wiped her eyes tiredly as she slowly stepped down the stairs before she tied her long hair up in a ponytail. She stood at the bottom, listening out for any movement or responses from her father, who had been looking for another job for the past few weeks. He liked to work, her father always had to be doing something, but he did feel guilty for leaving her for hours a day. She always made to reassure him that she was fine being at home, the house was big enough to keep herself occupied. They had also been checking out schools for her to start after summer, and she wasn't looking forward to it, Andrea hated school. They were always the same, and she found herself missing Jack and Liam.

Andrea padded into the kitchen, wanting nothing more than her morning coffee. Everyone she knew never dared to talk to her until she finished her first coffee of the day. She cleared her throat and rolled her eyes as she sun shined through the kitchen windows, glaring at her. She reached up and took out her favourite mug from the cupboard before setting it down next to the coffee machine then turned it on. Narrowing her eyes when she didn't hear any sound in the house, her father was usually in the kitchen before her, reading his paper.

"Dad? You can't still be in bed!"

She turned around and hopped onto the counter, a piece of paper catching her eye. Andrea picked it up and let her eyes skim over it.

**_Morning Lazy,_**

**_Good news! I got a job interview at 11am, so i'll be out most of the day. But, I went shopping early so that you won't stave, and I wont be later than 4pm, i'll make sure of it. I'll take you out tomorrow to make it up to you._**

**_Love you. Dad._**

She smiled to herself, proud of him before she placed it back down onto the counter once she noticed that her coffee was ready. As she made her breakfast, Andrea failed to notice the other presence in the room. Tate, who had made himself invisible, had been watching her since she had come down stairs. He felt a peace watching her move around, the way her face would make all sorts of expressions, and he especially liked it when she was happy, like when she had read the letter. The small smile made his eyes light up. He knew that it was wrong to watch her, but he couldn't help himself, he hated not being around her, but if he wanted to keep her, he had to make sure that she didn't find out his secret.

They had been spending a lot of time together, finding that they had a lot in common, especially their music interests. She would tell him that she was born in the wrong decade, and he agreed, she was beyond her years. Unlike the other ghosts, he didn't find himself wondering what had changed in the world because it had been a horrible place when he was alive, he didn't doubt that it had only gotten worse. He didn't like it whenever she left the house, or spoke to her father about the local schools because it felt like she was leaving him. He also didn't want her to go to school, the place had been hell for Tate, and he didn't want that for her.

From what he saw, her father was a good man, completely opposite to his own parents, mostly his mother, Tate had only been told that his own father had run off. He wanted to know what was going on in Andrea's life, he wanted to spend time with her and looked like he valued every second he got with her. Tate did feel sorry for him, he didn't like to see her father upset because whenever he was sad, so was Andrea. He knew how much her father meant to her, and could see the anger in her eyes whenever she spoke about the way her mother had treated him. Andrea also told him about her friends back home, and he found that the more she talked to him, the more comfortable she became around him.

She had been telling him stuff about her mother, and the more he found out, the more he wanted to hunt the woman down and strangle her. He couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt Andrea, why they wouldn't want her in their lives, she was so full of light, he'd never met anyone like her before. He wondered how she would react if he had told her the truth about him, every single thing he'd ever done, and Tate felt his stomach drop when he imagined her turning her back on him. He shook his head wildly, wanting to shake the thought away at the thought of losing her, he had to keep his past away from her. He had to keep the other ghosts away, she was his. Tate nodded to himself, agreeing with the voice in his head for once.

He watched as Andrea finished her coffee then washed her mug before she started the walk out of the kitchen. He followed her quietly, fingers itching to reach up and pull out the band that held her hair up. Tate decided that he didn't like her hair tied up, he liked it down, it was thick and shiny. She began to move up the stairs, but all of a sudden, she froze. Tate looked down and saw that he had reached out and touched her again. She inhaled sharply, heart thumping against her rib cage, and Tate swallowed, but he just couldn't help it. He felt a stab in his chest when he realized that he was scaring her, so he moved his hand away from her skin and Andrea jogged up the rest of the stairs.

He waited a few seconds before he followed her, scolding himself for being so stupid and for scaring her again. He knew that she was starting to think she was crazy for even considering what was happening to her was real. Tate stopped outside her bedroom door, which was opened a crack, and saw that she was sitting on her bed, reading some book. He could see the freaked out look on her face, and knew that she was trying to forget it by hiding in her book.

"Are you gonna stand there all day or come in?"

She raised her head and the second her eyes met his, he could see the fear in them disappear. She instantly smiled when she saw who was at the door and Tate was sure that nobody else had ever had that reaction when they saw him, apart from Addie but she was happy around everyone. But his smile dropped a little because he knew that she would never react that way if she knew what he had done, what he would do if anyone else in the house got to her. He broke out of his thoughts when her voice broke into his mind. The voices in his head fell away, and he returned her smile again.

"I've gotten used to you breaking in."

"It's not when the front door is unlocked...there's nothing broken."

She rolled her eyes and patted the bed. Lighting up at the idea of spending some time with her, Tate shut the door behind her and climbed up the steps behind her. Though he had been watching her since their last time they were together, it was better when she was with him of her own choice, enjoying his company because for so long he had been alone. He vowed to make sure that she would never feel that way, not while he had any say in it. He flinched at imagining her going off to the school that he had once walked the halls of, and he swallowed at the thought of her finding out what he had done. He didn't want her to leave, even if it were only for a short time.

"What you looking at?"

She pointed at the book,"Your favorite..."

Andrea felt the bed dip as he sat down next to her, eyes skimming over the book she was reading. His eyes widened in interest when they landed on pictures of Kurt Cobain, some of the band and some of the front-man himself. He moved closer to her and started to read the paragraph she was into. Andrea smiled softly when she heard him gasp slightly when he read something that he hadn't known before, taking time to re-read it as the information sunk in. She went to turn the page, but Tate grabbed her hand and stopped her, now focused on the pictures of the band live. Andrea glanced at him, stifling her laughter as his eyes lit up, entranced by what he was looking at.

"I wish I could have seen them live, y'know. Music hasn't been the same since them."

Tate nodded in agreement,"I've heard that they were amazing."

"They look...free and happy, especially Kurt. It was a mask, considering how it ended, nobody knew what was going on inside of him, they didn't know the truth. I've watched interviews, i've read every book on him, and the only light in his life was his family. They stopped the pain for a while..."

Andrea raised her head and gazed at Tate, eyes roaming over his face before she whispered,"You've felt pain, I can tell."

"How do you figure?"

"The way you talk, like you've been through a war or something. You know the truth about the world, but sometimes pain is good, it teaches you things."

He turned and looked at her, watching as she looked at the pictures in delight. She spoke as if she could read the pictures, as if she knew the type of pain he felt, and he found himself compelled by her. She bit her lip when his fingers tangled in her hair, and the strands tickled her skin when he pulled the band away. Her long hair fell down her shoulders, and he looked on, memorized, burning the picture into his mind. Andrea toyed with her fingers, and then she felt Tate's fingers under her chin, lifting her chin, capturing her eyes.

"So have you and as long as i'm around you won't feel it again. I promise. "


End file.
